African securityFrance to offer counter-terrorism support to Libya

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has confirmed that France is considering providing Libya additional aid in counter-terrorism and police training.

Since the NATO-supported revolt removed Muammar Gaddafi from office two years ago, Libya has not had an effective central government, and the country has turned into a battleground for rival militias and  and al Qaeda-linked militants.

“In the south [of Libya] there are many terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, Ansar al-Sharia and others,” Libya’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdelaziz told reporters last week. “We are trying to build an intelligence service and exchange information with our partners to help us to take control.”

The Baltimore Sun reports that France has agreed to train 2,500 Libyan police in counter-terrorism. Fabius, attending a regional border security conference in Rabat, Morocco, said that France was considering an “important” amount of further aid and training for Libya, but he stopped short of providing details on how much aid and training.

“Unfortunately, terrorism is increasing in the Maghreb and the Sahel regions. Obviously, those countries are the first to be concerned, but we are too,” Fabius said. “Our action in Mali was so spectacular, but we need to continue to be there for the Malians, the Libyans and the whole region. It is too important for us.”

The conference in Rabat aimed to establish a regional force to exchange intelligence information and warnings about threats. The command of the force is expected to be formed in a meeting in Libya within the next two months. The summit also planned to establish a center in Rabat where officers from countries in the region can be trained in border surveillance.

The Sun notes that Southern Libya’s vast deserts have become a haven for al Qaeda fighters who fled Mali after the French intervention there earlier this year. French interests in the region have now been threatened. Just last week, the French Foreign Ministry reported that a French priest was kidnapped in northern Cameroon. In January, Islamist militants tied to veteran Algerian fighter Mokhtar Belmokhtar launched an attack on Algeria’s Amenas gas plant from outposts in Libya. About forty foreign contractors were killed in the attack. Belmokhtar’s fighters have since joined the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA), a group scattered early this year by the French intervention in Mali. Belmokhtar claimed his fighters attacked a French-run uranium mine in Niger in May and will continue to attack more French assets.

For now, NATO has agreed to a Libyan request to advise its security forces. “Allies have agreed to respond positively to the request made by the Libyan prime minister for NATO to provide advice on defense institution-building in Libya,” NATO said in a statement. The advisory team will be based in Brussels and will not have a permanent presence in Libya.